A Snake Bite

It's that time again....peak orange season

 This year the orange orchard is incredible....

the fruit is literally pulling the branches to the ground 

and every tree is in full blossom....what an incredible smell

crazy wonderful

so what to do with all of that orange juice?

I'm not much of a mixologist 

but I love tea and especially tea with lemonade

not long ago I ordered an "Arnold Palmer"

from a little cafe and the server said:

"do ya see any golf courses around here?...it's called a snake bite up this a way"

oops

really

?

So here is my version of a 

Snake Bite

using 

OJ

Mix together:

a nice large pitcher of your favorite ice tea 

(make about 4 quarts)

Add:

4 or 5 tea bags of 

Coconut Chai Tea

(I use Zhena's Gypsy Tea which you can find at Trader Joe's

or use a tea that has a lot of spices like Constant Comment)

let this sit overnight in the fridge

When ready to serve/drink:

add 4 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice 

to your pitcher of ice tea

 fill some nice large glasses 

about half full with ice

now you can drink this

"as is"

but to add some 

BITE

to your drink

I like to top it off with a shot of 

Captain Morgans Spiced Rum

I stick a big slice of lime on a wood fork

(you can find these bamboo disposable forks at Target and most grocery stores)

float the shot of rum on the top of the tea

and swizzle with the lime slice

ENJOY

Kelley's Klassic Summertime Lemonade

 Start with about a dozen lemons...I have Meyer lemons and Eureka lemons in my orchard

 The Meyer's are so delicious and can be found in most supermarkets...I've seen bags at my local Trader Joe's too!  The difference in the size and color of the lemons is really funny!  Meyers tend to have lots of seeds but yield a lot of juice

 Get out you juicer and juice away....

 You will need about 2 cups of juice 

for a nice large quart pitcher

 Add 2 cups of cold water to your lemon juice

 make a simple syrup by adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of superfine sugar 

to 

 1 cup of water

regular granulated sugar is fine too

 I usually heat up the sugar water in the microwave

 to get the sugar to dissolve faster

 Add the syrup water to your lemonade mixture and test for sweetness...we like it pretty tart and the Meyer lemons are incredibly sweet as it is

 Add some lemon slices to your pitcher 

and garnish your glasses with lemon slices

Fill glasses with lots of ice 

And last but not least...have a seat in your favorite chair and sip away!

A summertime Classic

Cheers!

Kelley

Kumquats

these are just about the cutest little gems ever!

Kumquats

 whether you have an acre 

or just a great little patio...

as long as you have sunlight 

you can grow Kumquats

we have many varieties of citrus in our orchard 

but sadly not a single Kumquat

 right now the blossoms are peaking and 

the new fruit is forming

 the bees are doing their thing too...

thankfully

 and since orange is in

 both in the garden

  in the home,

 in nature

and on the runway

lets get some Kumquats

tangerine happens to be the Pantone 

color of the year 

for 2012

 orange is a very Tuscan inspired color 

 but surprisingly 

works well with many other colors

 one of the nice things about Kumquats 

is they grow in almost all zones

and do very well as a potted plant

 I have been thinking about what to put

 in big galvanized pots on our newly built deck

and have decided on Kumquats

 in addition to being a really great looking ornamental plant 

the fruit is really tasty 

and can be used for jams and relishes...

so off to the Nursery 

what will the color of the year be in 2013

Avocado maybe?

you just never know

The Best Giveaway Yet!!!!!

So here it is...

Time for a great giveaway!!

Just a few of my favorite things from the locals here in the Ojai Valley and my way of saying

 "thankyou" 

to everyone who follows along and have become my "blogging family"

From the Ojai Valley Food Company, their organic ginger citrus grill sauce.

Absolutely the best on chicken and fish, but you can use it on sweet corn and even fruit!

From Westridge market:  Tomato, apple and raisin cheese topper!

Pour this over brie or buratta and serve with crackers and apple slices...so yummy.

Locally pressed olive oil with lemon.

Really smooth and fragrant, pairs with balsamic vinegar and french bread perfectly.

The Ranch House Restaurant herb salt.  

A favorite of locals, this spice can be used for anything.  I actually thought this had parmesan in it at first but it doesn't.  

It is really a great all around seasoned salt, really nice and herby....is that a word?

Westridge market Jamaican jerk seasoning.

Westridge grills tritips and chicken over mesquite in their parking lot on the weekends and they use this spice rub!  

 Amazing.

And finally, I will include some fresh lavender from my garden, as fresh as it gets and so fragrant it will knock your socks off!

So here we go

Leave a comment on this post 

I will choose a winner using a random number counter

Entries will be included up until 12:00 noon on  Sunday, August 8th 

with the winner announced at 1:00 PM

Good luck....can't wait to pick a winner

~kelley~